What Does a General Laborer Do?
Reliability is the main qualification for this work. Contractors, warehouses, cities and universities hire general laborers to lift, carry, shovel and clean up, and the same crew may move offices one day and clear snowy sidewalks the next. The work often comes up on short notice.
Also known as: Laborer
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as Laborer, Loader, Material Handler, Merchandise Pick Up Associate, Merchandise Receiving Associate, Receiver, Receiving Associate, Shipping and Receiving Materials Handler.
General Laborer Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a general laborer include:
- Load and unload trucks by hand or with a pallet jack, stacking materials where they belong.
- Set up tables, chairs, staging and barricades for events, then break them down afterward.
- Shovel and salt walkways, steps and building entrances after snow and ice storms.
- Carry furniture, boxes and equipment between buildings during office moves and renovations.
- Dig trenches and holes for posts, drains or repairs, and backfill them when work is done.
- Clear construction debris and haul it to dumpsters or recycling bins.
- Sort recycling, surplus furniture and scrap metal so it is ready for pickup.
- Spread gravel, mulch or topsoil with shovels and rakes on grounds projects.
- Operate hand trucks, dollies, wheelbarrows and jackhammers under a crew leader's direction.
- Report damaged goods, unsafe loads or injuries to the supervisor right away.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a general laborer, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Strength and stamina for lifting and carrying all shift
- Safe lifting technique
- Pallet jack and hand truck handling
- Reliability and punctuality
- Following spoken and written instructions
- Willingness to work outdoors in heat, cold and rain
- Basic hand tool use
- Driver's license, which some employers ask for
Education and Training
Employers mostly check whether you show up on time, lift safely and pick up a site's rules within days. No formal credential is needed, and a supervisor shows you the ropes. A driver's license widens the choice of work, and steady laborers can graduate to trades helper or equipment operator jobs.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $36,090 - $46,920 per year, with a median of $40,240.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.
Hand laborers and material movers form a huge, busy workforce. In fact, BLS projects about 340,500 openings a year for laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, even though employment in the group should grow only about 2 percent from 2025 to 2035. Most of those openings come from people moving on, so a laborer who turns up every day is more likely to be kept on and trained for skilled work.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand.
General Laborer Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $31,270 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $36,090 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $40,240 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $46,920 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $55,140 |
Highest-Paying States for General Laborers
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are Minnesota ($46,280), Washington ($46,190), District of Columbia ($45,740), North Dakota ($45,690), Colorado ($45,370). Pay is lowest in Mississippi ($36,400), Arkansas ($35,920), Louisiana ($35,340).
Median pay in all 51 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $36,670 |
| Alaska | $44,510 |
| Arizona | $44,290 |
| Arkansas | $35,920 |
| California | $44,710 |
| Colorado | $45,370 |
| Connecticut | $43,640 |
| Delaware | $37,320 |
| District of Columbia | $45,740 |
| Florida | $38,160 |
| Georgia | $38,480 |
| Hawaii | $44,120 |
| Idaho | $39,900 |
| Illinois | $40,550 |
| Indiana | $41,340 |
| Iowa | $43,490 |
| Kansas | $40,250 |
| Kentucky | $42,770 |
| Louisiana | $35,340 |
| Maine | $42,640 |
| Maryland | $41,600 |
| Massachusetts | $44,920 |
| Michigan | $38,860 |
| Minnesota | $46,280 |
| Mississippi | $36,400 |
| Missouri | $39,080 |
| Montana | $43,840 |
| Nebraska | $42,910 |
| Nevada | $39,350 |
| New Hampshire | $42,110 |
| New Jersey | $39,540 |
| New Mexico | $37,230 |
| New York | $44,630 |
| North Carolina | $38,230 |
| North Dakota | $45,690 |
| Ohio | $39,460 |
| Oklahoma | $36,990 |
| Oregon | $44,750 |
| Pennsylvania | $42,480 |
| Rhode Island | $41,690 |
| South Carolina | $37,530 |
| South Dakota | $38,980 |
| Tennessee | $38,160 |
| Texas | $37,540 |
| Utah | $42,370 |
| Vermont | $39,390 |
| Virginia | $39,380 |
| Washington | $46,190 |
| West Virginia | $36,990 |
| Wisconsin | $44,610 |
| Wyoming | $38,330 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 86% use their hands on tools, objects or controls for more than half the day
- 81% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
- 80% wear safety gear such as gloves, safety glasses or a hard hat every day
- 76% work outdoors in all kinds of weather every day
- 76% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 62% usually work more than 40 hours a week
- 58% deal with loud or distracting noise every day
Tools and Software General Laborers Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy hands-on work with tools, machines or the outdoors as well as organized work with data, records and clear procedures.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Coordination, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Monitoring, Operations Monitoring.
Knowledge areas used most: Administration and Management, Customer and Personal Service, Public Safety and Security, Transportation, Production and Processing.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 2 of 5, which means some preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
Applying for a General Laborer Job
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 53-7062.00 (Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.